In a remarkable journey from tending cattle in rural Jharkhand to training artificial intelligence systems, Sanjeev Soren is spearheading a digital revolution to save his mother tongue from disappearing into obscurity.
The Unlikely Tech Pioneer
Sanjeev Soren's story reads like a script from a inspirational film. Growing up in a tribal community where his daily responsibilities included grazing cattle, he never imagined he would one day work with cutting-edge AI technology. Yet today, this scholar is at the forefront of digitally preserving the Ho language, spoken by nearly one million people across eastern India.
Bridging Tradition and Technology
The Ho language, belonging to the Munda family of Austroasiatic languages, faces an existential threat as younger generations increasingly adopt dominant regional languages. What makes Soren's mission extraordinary is his approach: using artificial intelligence to create digital tools that make Ho accessible and relevant in the 21st century.
"When I first suggested using AI, many in my community were skeptical," Soren shares. "They couldn't understand how computers could help preserve our cultural heritage. But I believed technology could be our strongest ally in this fight."
The Digital Preservation Process
Soren's project involves several innovative approaches:
- Creating comprehensive digital dictionaries and grammar guides
- Developing AI-powered translation tools between Ho and other Indian languages
- Building speech recognition systems that can understand and process Ho vocabulary
- Digitizing ancient Ho scripts and oral traditions
- Creating educational apps for younger generations to learn the language
More Than Just Language Preservation
This initiative represents something larger than linguistic conservation. It's about preserving cultural identity, traditional knowledge, and historical narratives that have been passed down through generations. The Ho language contains unique concepts, ecological knowledge, and cultural values that risk being lost forever without intervention.
The AI systems Soren is developing don't just translate words—they help capture the context, cultural nuances, and traditional wisdom embedded in the language. This ensures that the soul of the Ho culture survives along with its vocabulary.
A Model for Other Endangered Languages
Soren's work has implications far beyond the Ho community. India is home to hundreds of endangered languages, each representing unique cultural traditions and knowledge systems. His success demonstrates how technology can be harnessed to protect linguistic diversity at a time when many indigenous languages face extinction.
"Every language is a unique window into human experience," Soren emphasizes. "When a language dies, we don't just lose words—we lose ways of seeing the world, understanding nature, and relating to each other."
His journey from cattle herder to AI trainer serves as powerful inspiration for other marginalized communities seeking to preserve their linguistic heritage while embracing technological progress.
